madPeople.
The idea that drives CavyMadness is knowing that guinea pigs are a great companion for people, and that the best way to care for them is to learn from one another. CavyMadness has grown into a viable support forum of beginners worldwide; thousands of people visit the Messageboard for help with basics, or just to meet new pig-friends. Hundreds of PigPals have benefited from having a one-on-one pen pal relationship to learn from experienced people. CavyMadness serves as a portal to a wide online community of guinea pig enthusiasts, spread over many advanced sites and messageboards such as the Guinea Pig's Daily Digest and GuineaLynx (and of course, CavyMadness' own messageboard and newsletter!). Check out CavyMadness on Facebook, too!

Sally Hurley
guru and board-minder extraordinaire.

Born in FL, raised in MN, live in MA. Wannabe Oceanographer that switched majors in college to Computer Science. Love programming; have been programming at the same company for over 15 years. To complement my geekiness, I am also into quilting, making sculpey ornaments, Contra dancing and, of course, guinea pigs.

I fell in love with guinea pigs as a child when I discovered that they can talk to you. I've had guinea pigs on-and-off again since I was 12, and steadily since 1996 (I can't believe that). In June 2005 I adopted a young mother/daughter pair that I named Willow and Pippin, the 6th pair of girls I've owned.

I stumbled across CavyMadness late 2002, and discovered the joy of adopting guinea pigs from shelters. That also kicked off my involvement with guinea pig events, becoming the main organizer for the Boston Pignic and running the CavyMadness Messageboard. Guinea pigs are fascinating and entertaining little critters, and they definitely brighten up my life.

Anita Fair
Facebook cute-bringer

Our relationship with guinea pigs started many years ago with Truffle, a beautiful, sweet, huge grey and white Peruvian. Truffle only lasted a year or so, probably due to our ignorance of guinea pig care, and his advanced age. We loved him to bits. Truffle was followed by Fluffy several years later. We bought him as a pet for our son, who was about 5 at the time. Fluffy was followed by Cannoli (Noli) , and then Russell, a cast-off from my niece, who was expecting. We promptly renamed him Piggie Smalls, or Notorious P.I.G. Piggie Smalls was simply The Best Pig Ever, with a winning personality and a large vocabulary. He was also the inspiration for a lot of pig photos, and subsequently the start of my Guinea Pig Holiday cards. He was a true Star, and appeared twice on the Pet of The Day website.

Flannel The Great caught my eye at the local Petco. Until Flannel, I never realized how different all pigs are. Flannel was a character; a feisty, ornery, Houdini of pigs. There was no enclosure he couldn't escape from. One night we awakened to blood-curdling shrieks and found him hanging upside down after getting his leg caught in the cage bars. After that we realized there was no confining him safely and he became a free-range pig, with the run of our bedroom and the adjoining office. We could hear him running around from downstairs, even with the TV on. Flannel made his presence known. We lined the floor under our bed with towels, and he stayed there happily much of the day, returning to his cage for food and water. A feisty pig is not always a friendly pig, however, and he never really wanted anything to do with us, wriggling away whenever we tried to hold him.

This brings me to our present-day piggies, Beanie ('Nilla Bean) and Nuttie (Nutella). These are two of the most laid-back creatures on the planet. They don't talk, they don't purr, they hardly ever wheek, and sometimes they don't even move. Put them put in the middle of the floor and two hours later they'll be in the same spot. This bloblike tendency doesn't make them the most charismatic of pigs, but does make them excellent photography subjects! Beanie and Nuttie are now about 5 years old and are extremely LARGE---3 1/2 pounds each.They are the longest-lived pigs we've ever had.

I became a big fan of Tammy and Cavy Madness through the Guinea Pig Daily Digest, which I subscribed to for many years.
When I'm not cleaning the cage I make jewelry, bags, scarves, and those custom guinea pig greeting cards. Please see my website! (designed by Tammy, of course): www.autumnarts.net

Caroline Whittle
The very unique and awesome CavyCaroline.

Guinea pig people have to be the nicest people in the world. Anyone who loves these beautiful, happy and innocent little darlings has to be as special as they are. I vividly remember my first introduction when I was six. My best friend at the time had several in a grazing ark in her garden and I was immediately captivated. She caught one for me – his name escapes me, but he was a big tortie and white boar. He ran up to my neck and snuggled into my hair. I felt his warmth and softness, heard his quiet little squeakings and smelled that wonderful mix of guinea pig and fresh hay. That was it for me, folks: dandelions and fresh grass took on a whole new meaning and my heart was forever a piggie haven.

I have always loved to paint and draw, but for some reason, it didn’t occur to me to combine my two loves until I had a very special pig, Findley. He was a gift from wonderful Peter (Gurney) after we failed to save an elderly boar, Franklin. Findley was so full of life and mischief and quite soon ruled the roost at home. At that time I was a newly freelance designer of greeting cards and was stuck for inspiration as to what I should be sending to my clients, friends and family that year. I looked at Findley with that glint in his eye and I just knew he’d be out skiing, if only he could. That pig would do anything. My sister came up with ‘Out of the Hutch’ as the theme name and it has been my joy to spread the fun and the magic.

I’ve been away for a while due to illness, but now I’m back, I want to infect as many people as possible with guinea love, through my paintings. I hope you all love my latest art, available at CavyMadness and through my Etsy shop. Isn’t that the perfect pastime for goodness and guineas!

Tammy Raabe Rao
originator of all this madness.

I vaguely remember having a guinea pig as a pet while growing up in England, but I may have been too small to appreciate it. In 1993, my boyfriend Nhan noticed a whoosh of orange and white hair darting about in a pen at the MSPCA, and thus began the genesis of my modern-day guinea pig madness. The full line of guinea pigs is chronicled in the meet the madness page. I love guinea pigs for their loafy, amicable nature. They are both strong and delicate at the same time; their rotund little selves make me happy.

I began CavyMadness in 1999, because I had been searching around online for guinea pig information, and found sites sorely lacking; a couple of very technical sites existed, but as a beginner, I was overwhelmed by their content. Since I was in my career as a print production artist, I decided to expand my skills in web design and see what I could come up with.( If you're curious about this site's history, check out the Wayback Machine's archive of CavyMadness.)

Since then, I've developed into a freelance graphic designer and photographer, specializing in helping very small businesses develop their brand identity. I design print pieces, from stationery to magazine ads. I create Web pages. I supplement with product and event photography. I also specialize in in-home pet photography. I've always kept CavyMadness close to my heart, for it was my first "pro" website. And of course, the subject matter makes me happy.

I'm always ecstatic when I receive emails that express how CavyMadness has helped make people better pig-parents. I've received fan mail and tokens of appreciation over the years, and I am filled with happiness knowing that I've been able to reach out in my small way to people and their (new)pigs all over the world.